Feed-water regulator.



H. McCABE.

FEED WATER REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1|. 1908.

1,148,108. I Patented July 27, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H. McCABE.

FEED WATER REGULATOR.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAY 11. 1908.

l 148,1 08 Patented July 27, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIAPLANOGRAPH c0..wASM|NaToN D c H. McCABE.

FEED WATER REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY n. 1908.

Patented July 27, 1915.

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FEED WATER REGULATOR APPLICATION FILED MAY H, 1908. 1,148,1 08. Patented July 27, 1915.

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HUGH MCCABE, F LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

FEED-IVATER REGULATOR.

Application filed May 11, 1908.

To all whom it may concern Be, it known that I, HUGH MOUABE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Water Regulators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to feed-water regulators. Its object is to reorganize, simplify and improve feed-water regulators for steam boilers; the invention consists in the regulater hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims.

Following is a description of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the portion in front of the line 22 Fig. 1 being removed for the sake of clearness; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the supply valve; Fig. at is a sectional elevation of the controlling valve and part of the balanced lever; Fig. is an elevation of the balanced lever casting; and Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the controlling valve and trunnions.

The general operation of the invention is as follows: When the water in the boiler falls below a certain level, it permits the steam to flow through a pipe which is opened by the drop of the water in the water column below the end of the pipe, and the steam flows through a trunnion into a balanced lever having at one end a weight and at the other end a large hollow ball. Normally, the ball is filled with water which over-balances the weight upon the other end of the lever. When the steam flows into the ball and displaces the water therein, the weight on the other end of the balance lever over-balances the ball and the weight drops and thereupon opens a controlling valve and allows steam to flow through to a supply valve of a water supplying means for supplying water to the boiler. The opening of the supply valve permits steam from the boiler to flow through to a steam pump which pumps the water in the boiler, or permits water to flow from a hydrostatic pressure reservoir to the boiler. When the level of the water in the boiler has been raised above the end of this Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1915.

Serial No. 432,298.

pipe, thereby preventing access of steam to the ball, the water flows into the ball thereby causing it to over-balance the weight and to drop. This closes the controlling valve, shutting off the supply of steam to the supply valve and at the same time opens an ex haust valve allowing the pressure on the supply valve to be reduced and the supply valve thereupon automatically closes shutting off the supply of steam or water.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a water column 1 is connected to the boiler by a pipe 2 extending from the top of the water columnto the steam space in the boiler, and by a pipe 3 from the lower end of the water column to the boiler below the water level. The lower end of the water column normally extends below the lowest level of the water in the boiler. A controlling valve is connected to the upper or steam portion of the water column, by a pipe 4 extending upwardlyto a valve casing 5 which is laterally supported by a brace 6 secured to the pipe 2. Within the casing 5 is a valve chamber 7 having an outlet 8 connected to a supply valve and the supply of steam from the pipe 1 to the supply valve is controlled by a controlling valve 9 mounted on the lower end of a stem 10 which passes through an exhaust chamber 11 having an outlet or exhaust 12. This stem 10 is slotted just above the controlling valve to permit the steam to escape from the valve chamber into the exhaust chamber when the controlling valve 9 is closed. Upon the upper end of the stem 10 is mounted a fork 13 pinned by the pin 14 to the projection 15 from the ball lever casting 29 hereinafter referred to. The hole in the projection 15 is elongated as shown to prevent cramping of the stem with oscillations of the balanced lever. When the stem is pressed downwardly the controlling valve 9 is therebv closed and when the stem is pulled up the controlling valve 9 is opened.

The operation of the controlling valve is regulated by a balanced lever. From the valve casing 5 extends upwardly a yoke 16, the ends 17 and 18 of which are hollow and form bearings for two hollow trunnions 19 and 20 respectively. A pipe 21 extends from the water column at the critical line to the hollow end 17 of the yoke and a similar pipe 22 runs from the lower portion of the water column to the other end 18 of the yoke. The pipes 4, 21 and 22 are all controlled by ordi nary valves 23 which are normally open and should never be closed except when it may be necessary to make repairs. The ends of the trunnions lying within the hollow ends of the yoke are held steam-tight by means of packing 2d compressed by ported glands 25 operated by hand wheels 26 on stems 27 which screw into the ends of the yoke ends 17 and 1S and are held by check nuts 28. The other ends of the trunnions extend toward the center of the yoke and are threaded in order to engage threaded bores and thereby pivotally support between them a lever casting 29 having chambers 30 and 31 which are continuations respectively of the hollow trunnions 19 and 20. These chambers 30 and 31 open respectively into two pipes 32 and 33 which extend horizontally from the casting 29 and enter a ball 31 supported by them, the pipe 32 extending within the ball nearly to the top. 011 the opposite side of the casting 29 is a horizontally extending rod 35 carrying a weight 36 and the casting 29 with the rod and weight on one side and the pipes and ball on the other side form a balanced lever pivotally mounted on the trunnions. hen the ball is full of water it over-balances the weight and retains the lever in a horizontal position and in that position, the controlling valve 9 is pressed down and held closed but, when the ball is empty the weight over-balances the lever and it is thereby caused to tip up thereby pulling the controlling valve open. From the outlet 8 in the valve chamber 7, a pipe 33 extends to a chamber 39 in a casing 40 for the purpose of carrying steam to open a supply valve. \Vithin the chamber 39 is a piston 11 mounted on a stem 42, the lower end of which carries a supply valve 13 for opening and closing the opening between an inlet chamber 1 connected to a steam supply and an outlet chamber a5 connected to a steam pump. The stem 42 is held tight by packing t6 compressed by a gland 4:7. Underneath the piston is a helical spring as, the lower end resting in a spring socket and the upper end engaging the under side of the piston 41 which exerts pressure upon the piston and tends to keep the supply valve 43 closed at all times. A bolt 50 affords means for opening and holding open the supply valve for filling the boiler. This device operates in detail as follows: When the water in the boiler falls below the critical line, it opens the end of the pipe 21 in the water column and permits steam to flow up through the pipe 21, through the hollow end 17 of the yoke 16, the trunnion 19, the chamber 30 of the lever casting 29 and the pipe 32 into the ball 34: thereby displacing the water which flows out of the ball through the pipe 33, the chamber 31 in the balanced casting 29, through the trunnion 20 and the end 18 of the yoke 16 into the pipe 22 and back into the water column. WVith this displacement of the water in the ball by steam, the weight 36 over-balances the ball and causes the balanced lever to tip and the casting 29 moves upwardly and opens the controlling valve 9 and admits steam from the upper portion of the water column through the pipe 1, the valve chamber 7 and pipe 38 to the chamber 39 where the steam pressure moves the piston 41 downwardly and opens the supply valve 43. This allows steam to flow to the steam pump, by which the boiler is fed. When the water in the boiler rises above the mouth of the pipe 21 then the supply of steam through that pipe to the balanced lever and ball is shut off and the condensation of steam in those portions causes the water to flow up through pipes 21 and 22, the trunnions 19 and 20, chambers 30 and 31, and pipes 32 and 33 into the ball 31, and the ball gradually fills. In this state, it over-balances the weight 36 and causes the balanced lever to swing again to a horizontal position thereby closing the controlling valve 9, and shutting 011' the supply of the steam from the pipe i to the supply valve. At the same time, the steam in the chamber 39 and pipe 38 exhausts through the slots on the stem 10 to the exhaust chamber 11. This reduces the pressure in the chamber 39 and the spring 48 lifts the piston L1 and thereby shuts off the supply of steam to the steam pump or the supply of water from the hydrostatic pressure reservoir to the boiler as the case may be.

An important feature of the invention re sides in the arrangement of the controlling valve which controls the flow of steam to the supply valve. The valve, it will be noted, closes against the pressure of the steam, as a consequence of which, when the lever tips and the pressure which the latter exerts on this valve is relieved, the valve is pulled up and moved away from its seat with great certainty of operation. At the same time this same valve also operates to close the exhaust from the supply valve and the steam pressure is availed of to assist in holding the exhaust opening closed. The making of the exhaust and the steam valve in one piece inures to the simplicity of the apparatus by the reduction not only in the number of moving parts but by the elimination of friction incident thereto. Furthermore, it will be observed that the controlling valve closing as it does against the pressure of the steam needs no stufiing gland. This contributes to the certainty of the operation of the apparatus by the elimination of friction incident to the use of such glands.

In the present construction, it is to be observed, the pressures on the opposite trunnions are equal, as a result of which there is no end thrust on the balanced lever casting. This is a feature of practical importance as it reduces the friction required to be overcome in the tipping of the lever and thereby contributes to the certainty of operation of the apparatus. It is also to be observed that the parts are simple and so arranged that the device requires little care and is therefore well adapted for use in boiler rooms and the like where such mechanisms are subjected to a minimum of care and a maximum of dirt and abuse.

The present invention is not limited to the specific construction illustrated herein as it may be embodied in other forms.

lVhat is claimed is 1. A water feed regulator for boilers having, in combination, a steam actuated water supplying means, a pipe connection between said means and the boiler, a controlling valve in the pipe connection, and mechanism for actuating the valve including a frame in a substantially Y shape having the controlling valve inclosed in the lower part of the i and having a steam connection through one branch of the Y and a water connection through the other branch of the Y, a hollow ball, lever having trunnions supported in the branches of the Y-shaped frame having asteam passage through one trunnion to the steam connection in one branch of the Y and having a water passage through the other trunnion to the water connection in the other branch of the Y, said lever being situated immediately above the valve, and an operating connection between the lever and the valve for positively closing the valve when the lever is tilted in one direction and positively opening the valve when the lever is tilted in the other direction, substantially as described.

2. A water feed regulator for boilers having, in combination, water-supplying means, a crotched frame, a balanced lever pivotally mounted to swing upon trunnions in the branches of the frame, a single controlling valve having oppositely disposed valve seats located between the trunnions for controlling the starting and stopping of the watersupplying means and adapted to be positively moved in both directions by said lever substantially as described.

3. A water feed regulator for boilers hav ing, in combination, a steam-actuated supply valve for regulating the supply of water to the boiler, a crotched frame, a balanced lever mounted upon trunnions in the branches of the frame, a hollow ball carried by the lever, counterbalancing means acting on the lever to counterbalance the hollow ball, steam and water connections through the lever between the hollow ball and the boiler, a valve casing in the frame located between the trunnions and having a steam inlet, a steam out-let connected to the supply valve and an exhaust passage, and a controlling valve within the casing having oppositely disposed seats for controlling the inlet and exhaust passages respectively, said controlling valve being pivotally connected to the balanced lever to be positively moved in both directions by the lever, substantially as described.

4. A water feed regulator for boilers having, in combination, a steam actuated water supplying means, a pipe connection between.

said means and the boiler, a controlling valve in the pipe connection, and mecha nism for actuating the valve including a frame in a substantially Y shape having the controlling valve inclosed in the lower part of the Y and having a steam connection through one branch of the Y and a water connection through the other branch of the Y, a hollow ball, a lever having trunnions supported in the branches of the Y-shaped frame having a steam passage through one trunnion to the steam connection in one branch of the Y and having a water passage through the other trunnion to the water connection in the other branch of the Y, said lever being situated immediately above the valve, and'an operating connection between the lever and the valve including a valve stem extending from the valve into the crotch between the branches of the Y and connected to the lever so as to close the controlling valve when the lever is tilted in one direction and open the controlling valve when the lever is tilted in the other direction, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HUGH MOCABE.

Witnesses:

HORACE VAN EVEREN, ANNIE G. RICHARDSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

